This invention relates generally to a mobile machine for applications at a forestry site and, more particularly, to a mobile cruiser machine for determining a set of parameters for a plurality of trees and terrain at the forestry site.
Before trees are harvested at a forestry site, it is typical to perform an operation known in the logging industry as cruising. Cruising involves scouting the forestry site to obtain information such as tree quantities, size, type, and condition, and other relevant data such as the condition of the terrain and ground throughout the site.
Historically, cruising is performed by hiring professional consultants to traverse the forestry site and gather the information by manual means. Recent developments in technology have aided the cruisers, such as the development of handheld global position satellite system (GPS) units to determine location coordinates of the trees, handheld computers to enter and store the data, and the like.
However, cruising remains an expensive, time-consuming, and inefficient method for gathering the needed data. In addition, typical cruising operations involves the cruisers traversing the forestry site by foot and stopping to take measurements, thus requiring much time and labor.
It is desired to provide a means to cruise a forestry site that is economical, efficient, and saves time and labor. In addition, it is desired to automate the information gathering processes of cruising to increase reliability and accuracy of the data gathered. Furthermore, it is desired to provide a mobile machine that is adapted to traverse the forestry site in an efficient manner, thus allowing an operator to gather information for forestry purposes with minimal time and labor.
The present invention is directed to overcoming one or more of the problems as set forth above.
In one aspect of the present invention a mobile machine for determining information at a forestry site is disclosed. The mobile machine comprises a gimbal base mounted on the mobile machine, a rotating laser beam range detector mounted on the gimbal base so that the rotating laser beam maintains a horizontal plane, a position determining system mounted on the mobile machine, and a slope determining system located on the mobile machine and electrically connected to a set of gimbals on the gimbal base, the gimbals being adapted to sense a slope of the mobile machine.